Electrolytic alternating-current rectifier.



,J ARTHUR S. HICKLEY, OF MANASQUAN, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRLYTIC ALTERNATING-CURRENT RECTFIER.

No. 900,278. spesse-ation of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 6, 1908.

Application filed. November 12, 1907. Serial No. 401,835.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ARTHUR S. HICKLEY, a

' subject of the King of Great Britain, residl in the following specification and claims.

ing at Manasquan, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jerseyhhave invented certain new and useful 'Improvements in Electrolytic Alternating-Current Rectitiers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates primarily to electrolytic alternating-current rectifiers, is especially adapted for currents of high tension, has for its object the prevention of short circuiting or jumping of the current from one electrode to the other, the prevention of oxids and precipitates forming in the cell and lowering the freezing point of the electrolyte, and the prevention of excessive heating of the electrolyte; and consists in certain improvements, which will be fully disclosed ln the practical operation of alternatingl current rectifiers ofthe class described, it has been foundthat after working, that is passing electricitythrough an electrolytic cell,

transformer or rectifier, one electrode which is aluminum and the other iron'or carbon or other suitable material, that the electrolyte rcomposed of phosphate of soda, carbonate of.

soda or other chemical solution, has its temperature raised tolsuch a degree that its 'eiiciency is greatly impaired, and the current instead of traveling down through the electrolyte from one electrode to the other, crosses the cell, short circuits both impulses, or jumps from one electrode to the other in It is'my purposeto remedy these defects in themanner hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this speciiication:-Figure 1 represents a vertical section -of an electro- Y lytic-current rectifier embodying my invention. Fig. 2 a like view of a modified form of construction. Fig. 3 a vertical section of another modification of the device, on a reduced'scale, and Fig. 1 a perspective of the cell shown in Fig. 2, detached.

Reference being had to the drawings and the designating characters thereon, the numeral 1 indicates a tank or receptacle, made of metal or other preferred material., and which forms one electrode of the cell. 2 a

cell also preferably 'made of metal. The tank 1 contains a body 3, preferably of oil, glycerin or other high non-conducting material, to which the cell 2 is exposed. The body 3 may be in liquid or semi-liquid form, and the cell 2 may be cylindrical, or in any preferred form, and contains a suitable electrolyte 4.

lVithin the cell 2 are arranged cells 5, (i, which constitute partitionsl for separating the electrolyte and forming passages 7, 8, 9.

between the wall of the cell 2 and the elec trode 10 through which the current travels from one electrode to the other. These cells 5, G, are preferably made of porcelain or other suitable material, and in the wall of the cell 5, are openings 11, and in the wall of the cell (i, are openings 12, to provide for the circulation of the electrolyte and the passage of the current. These openings 11, 19. are preferably arranged at or near the opposite ends of the cells, to lengthen the path thus reducethe possibility of the current short circuiting or jumping.

or route through which the current must I travel from one electrode to the other, and

The electrodes are provided with bindi'noF posts 13 and 14 respectively` and'within the upper end of thecell-Q, is a bodyA 15 of suitable insulating material to prevent the current passing to the wall of the cell 2, except where desired.

The electrode 10 is enlarged at its lower end 16, and the reduced portion 17 .thereof vis provided with a cover 18 of suitable nonconducting material, and the electrode is extended wellv down into` the electrolyte to prevent undue heating of the electrolyte on lits surface or in the upper part of the cell. AThis undue heating of the electrolyte due to the usual construction of the electrode, not infrequently causes the electrolyte to become more highly heated on the surface than in the body thereof.

The'walls of the cells 5, 6, may be extended above and beyond the upper end of the cell 2 to prevent short circuiting or jumping of.

vthe current from one pol-e to the other, and

trode` 10,-so that the current must travel from'the electrode 2 up the passage 22, over the Wall 19, down passage 23, through the opening 24 under the partition 20, up the passage 25, over the partition 21 and in to the electrolyte surroundingthe electrode l0. The partition 2O and the Wall 26, may be extended above the cell to prevent short circuiting or jumping of the current, as in the former construction.

In the construction shown in Fig. 3, a cell 27 of suitable vporous material is placed in the cell 2 and the current required to pass through the porous Wall ofthe cell 27 in its travel from one electrode 28 to the other electrode 10. Part only of the vWall 27 may be porous.

In each of the constructions shown, the current is obstructed in its passage from one electrode to the other, or the path or circuit lengthened beyond what it would be were the current permitted to travel directly from one pole to the other, and the possibility of short circuiting4 or jumping of the current reducedto the minimum. The heat developed or generated in theelectrolyte is taken up or imparted to the body in the tank and radiated through the Wall of the tank.

It is obvious that changes in the form and y details of construction may be made Without departing from thespirit of my invention.

The electrolyte composed of a solution of phosphate of soda, phosphate of ammonium, carbonate of soda and like chemicals and Water, allows oXlds and precipitates to form and collect in the cell, Which tends to impair the action of the electrolyte and also to short circuit the electrodes. To overcome this serious defect, as tar as it is possible, and to lower the freezing point ofthe electrolyte, I add glycerin in proportions according to the varying Work required and the low degrees of temperature to which the electrolyte is exposed. I usually use Water and glycerin, in equal parts, but the proportion oit' glycerin may be varied as from practically all' glycerin to a very small percentage thereof.

Having thusfully described my invention, What I claim is l. An electrolytic alternating-current rectier having insulating members extending into the electrolyte and above the cell for protecting the terminals against short circuiting.

2. In an electrolytic alternating-current rectifier, an electrolyte containing a substance for preventing oXids and precipitates forming and collecting in the cell.

3. In an electrolytic alternating-current rectifier, an electrolyte containing glycerin for preventing oXids and precipitates forming and collecting in the cell.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

ARTHUR S. HICKLEY.

Witnesses:

D. C. RErNoHL, v W. PARKER RinNoHI.. 

